Communication is the cornerstone of a successful business relationship. If you want to have a healthy and professional relationship with your freelancers, you should know how to most effectively get your message across to them and communicate your needs and requirements.
One of the chief reasons why outsourcing projects fail is because of the lack of effective communication between the client and freelancer. This leads to misunderstandings and disputes and, in turn, a complete collapse of the project. Effective communication not only creates a professional impression of your business but also nurtures a successful relationship with your freelancer.
Here are some common situations you can face while doing business on B2B portals and some tips to respond to them effectively:
Responding to Bidders after a Project is Closed
When you post a project on a B2B portal or e-bidding website, you can attract numerous high quality responses from freelancers. However, for any one project, you can only hire one freelancer from amongst all the bidders. This leaves you with the question of how to respond to the other unsuccessful bidders. B2B portals generally send out system generated email notifications to all the applicants once the project closes to notify them that they have not been successful. But it lacks a personal touch!
If you’ve posted requests for bids, it is important that you at least thank all the applicants and bidders for their participation. This not only will be genuinely appreciated by the unsuccessful freelancers but they will also think of your business with high professional ethics next time they encounter you. In business, you never know who you’ll encounter on your next project. On the contrary, if the unsuccessful bidders don't receive any kind of response from you, they will might think they put their time and effort into responding to a fake request for bid and not bother putting in a legitimate bid on your next advertised project. A freelancer who loses out on a project this time, might be the perfect freelancer for your next project.
Delayed Response from Freelancers
After receiving bids, you likely will have received at least some bids from freelancers who you want to speak with further. In some cases, you might face delayed replies from their end, leaving you in the dark about whether to move on or wait further.
In such scenarios, it is best to drop them a final reminder asking them about their bid, after which you should simply move on. As an employer, you should seek a freelancer who is detail-oriented, attentive and dependable. How quickly the freelancer responds to your concerns is a great indication of their professionalism.
Disputes over the Project
At times, freelancers may fail to provide you the kind of services that you need or they might compromise on the quality of their services, leaving you feeling cheated and robbed of money. In order to avoid any such event, it is important to prepare and sign a Project Agreement with the freelancer at the beginning of your outsourcing project. The agreement should detail all the core aspects of the project, including the roles and responsibilities of the freelancer, intellectual property rights ownership, key milestones of the project, payment and fees, escrows, dates of deliverables and other terms and conditions of the deal. A Project Agreement will give you a ready reference point that you can use to measure the performance of your chosen freelancer and to which the parties can revert back in case of any disputes.
Disclaimer : Sabra Easterday is the owner and founder of MatchB2B. Sabra is also a lawyer with a special interest in business issues and e-marketplaces. Notwithstanding that Sabra Easterday is a lawyer, nothing in this article and no services of MatchB2B or its website are legal services and no attorney-client relationship exists between any reader of this article or user, customer or potential customer of MatchB2B, and MatchB2B, its website or Sabra Easterday.
Sabra Eastreday is the founder and managing member of Match B2B, an professional Online Bidding Portal that invites businesses from across the world to connect with compatible service providers and prospective clients. Businesses can hire freelancers and hire online services for their project requirements.
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